British foreign office minister Hugo Swire overestimated his ability to stir up trouble when he joined the debate over universal suffrage, Beijing's Hong Kong propaganda chief suggested.
Hao Tiechuan , publicity director of the central government's liaison office, compared him with an ant trying to move a tree in an article in the Hong Kong Daily News - his third piece in moderate Chinese-language newspapers in five days.
In an opinion piece in the South China Morning Post on September 13, Swire said it was important for voters to have a real choice, and "Britain stands ready to support in any way we can".
Hao said Swire's words came as "no surprise at all … because everyone knows the British make trouble whenever they withdraw from a colony".
However, he said, Swire's article had failed to make an impact. "It's like an ant wanting to move a big tree - it's laughable and displays ignorance about one's own strength."
He added: "Mr Swire, what kind of unrest could you stir by publishing this article?"